Re: There is still a vast amount of work to be done...
 

If you can get past the "nanny state" argument that was brought up with mandatory seatbelt usage, I bet you could add a breathalyzer type system to cars for less than $1000 each.

Or even removed from the car directly, give each bar a breathalyzer by the door so people who say they are fine but really aren't can check.

Wetzel

Re: There is still a vast amount of work to be done...
 

My opinion, build more Mag lifts. Emphasize on public transportation, but in order for public transportation to work it has to be cheep and accessible. Have an express train for going city to city. A mini express train to take you to different sections in the city, and trains in there. We are driving way to many cars.

I don't think that cars are going to take to the skies either. Cause now you would have the worlds worst drivers (and we've all seen them, talking on cell phone, doing make up, reading a book, and eating fast food at the same time while driveing) and you put them up in the air when it seems they can't even handle the ground in the first place.

Re: There is still a vast amount of work to be done...
 

Cheap and accessible aren't the issue; convenient is. Until public transportation is as convenient as driving yourself (or possesses some other serious advantage, like the cost of ownership--think parking on Manhattan), most people will not take public transportation.

Within the past thirty days, I've traveled by plane, train, and automobile (literally!), all for distances of several hundred miles. Sure, Amtrak had the most legroom of any of them, but I'm limited by the one train running through Columbia (at 1:12 or 1:39 AM, depending on whether you go north or south). Flying to Cal Games was by far the fastest way to do it, but you've got the cost and hassles. (Did you know that you can't find original-formula Old Spice deodorant in a container under three ounces? I didn't until I had to find deodorant to pack for Cal Games.) With my car, I set the pace, the destination, the departure time, and any stopovers I so choose (like dinner in Virginia with 116 or a picture at South of the Border). You can't match the convenience of driving your own car.

A similar thing happens here on campus most nights. Alpha Phi Omega runs a door-to-door escort service, colloquially known by its campus phone number of 7-DUCK. Parking Services' evening shuttles (two fifteen-passenger vans) travel around campus at night as well. The evening shuttle has to make a full loop of campus, which can take half an hour or more, and you only know it's coming when you either see its flashing light or you get a reliable reading from the Nextbus signs at some stops. (As the shuttle frequently deviates from its route for various reasons, the signs have a reputation of being unreliable.) You know which option I take whenever I can? 7-DUCK.

Re: There is still a vast amount of work to be done...
 

For drunk drivers, a cop following a car can tell when the driver is drunk by the way the car moves on the road. How hard would it be for the car itself to detect the driver is swerving more than usual, or driving too fast or too slow, and then just slow down more and more, and stop?

Something like this could also work if a driver falls asleep, or has a serious medical event while driving and loses control.

I think it should be possible to have large sections of cross town roads and highways that would automate driving - once you are on the main road your car drives by itself, until you reach your exit.

Then we would only have to drive on sidestreets, in your own neighborhood for example, or in parking lots. It would be a cross between mass transit and having your own car. When your car is 'on the rail' it would be like riding on a bus or train.

Re: There is still a vast amount of work to be done...
 

This thread reminds me of this thread. Cars are a lot more safe than just a few years ago, but there is a long way to go.

For the past 6 years I've helped develop devices which improve automotive safety. The amount of development and testing required for each device that is designed for a vehicle is staggering. in spite of this, new devices are constantly being developed and becoming available on more vehicles.

This discussion is another great example of what's good about these forums. Hopefully some students reading this will be involved in reducing these dreadful statistics by helping implement these ideas.

Re: There is still a vast amount of work to be done...
 

If something like this were developed a hazard flash designed for this type of situation could trigger alerting cars and police -

Re: There is still a vast amount of work to be done...
 

Although this thread is more about auto safety and the science and engineering related to it, I was reminded of the thoughts I had while attending an environmental seminar yesterday.

There are so many fields that need the help of scietists and engineers.

We discussed the work that is going on with helping farmers optimize their production yields while minimizing nutrient, soil and pollution runoff into the adjacent streams rivers and lakes...
we talked about the research that needs done on carbon sequestering - finding the best plant growth to offset CO / CO2 emissions (greenhouse emissions)
How about coming up with energy efficient ways to make the biofuels we need to reduce our dependance on fossil fuels? And designing the engines that will love to burn them?
And the recent news that bad fishing practices will result in the total collapse of the seafood industry by the mid 21st century? Scientists Wanted!

It almost made me wish I was a young college student with all of these research opportunities aound me! But I'm not... so all of you who fit that description, you can make a difference and have a positive impact on your world - GO FOR IT!

Re: There is still a vast amount of work to be done...
 

Hey look! Toyota and I think alike!

(See how fast this gets buried in kickoff threads :) )

Wetzel

Re: There is still a vast amount of work to be done...
 

I can go get the actual details on this if you'd all like, but the situation is less dire than it appears on the surface.

1. In terms of deaths per exposure/hour, travelling by auto is much less dangerous than a lot of other activities such as bicycling, skiing, boating, riding horses, rock climbing, etc. It's a lot safer than smoking cigarettes (over 400,000 deaths per year).

2. About 40% of traffic deaths are due to alcohol (about 17,000 a year).

3. About 60% of people killed in traffic accidents are not wearing seatbelts.

4. The rate of traffic deaths has been dropping as long as there have been motor vehicles.

5. The strongest correlation between the drop in deaths per mile and factors is between the number of miles driven on divided highways and deaths. The second strongest has been in the growing use of seatbelts. The best way of reducing traffic deaths per mile has been in seat belt use and the number of miles of divided highways. Interestingly, seatbelt use in the US is lowest in the Northeast, and highest in the west and south. Maybe those good old boys aren't so dumb, after all, huh?

6. There has been no correlation between reduction in traffic deaths and the number of cars equipped with ABS or traction control systems. The NHTSA is studying this, but their Website says that current results are unclear, but might show some benefit.

7. The last time I read anything credible on the subject, there was a moderate (~10%?) reduction in traffic deaths due to use of air bags in vehicles and reduction in traffic deaths.

8. Since the NHTSA started collecting data in 1966, the number of traffic fatalities per 100 million miles travelled has dropped from 5.50 to 1.45. The number of miles driven has tripled, and the raw number of fatalities has dropped from 51,000 to 43,000. At an average speed of (and I'm making this up), 30 miles an hour, this is one fatality per 3.3 million hours of exposure.

I haven't looked into this in any serious way in a few years, so I would welcome anyone who could update any of these points.

Here is a trends summary from the 2005 NHTSA traffic report http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd...nn/TSF2005.pdf:

The tables in this chapter present statistics about police-reported motor vehicle crashes over time. Trends for
fatal crashes and fatalities generally are presented from 1975 (when FARS began operation) to 2005; however,
tables with alcohol data from FARS show data only for the years these data are available—1982 to 2005. Trends
for nonfatal crashes and injured are presented from 1988 (when GES began operation) to 2005. Care should be
taken when comparing nonfatal crash and injury statistics from one year to the next. Since the statistics derived
fromGESdata are estimates, year-to-year differences may be the result of the sampling process, not the result of an
actual trend. The variability or sampling errors associated with the estimates must be considered when making any
year-to-year comparisons using GES data. (For more information on sampling error, see Appendix C.) Below are
some of the statistics you will find in this chapter:

Fatal crashes increased by 1.9 percent from 2004 to 2005, and the fatality rate rose to 1.45 fatalities per
100 million vehicle miles of travel in 2005.

The injury rate per 100 million vehicle miles of travel decreased by 4.3 percent from 2004 to 2005.

The occupant fatality rate (including motorcycle riders) per 100,000 population, which declined by 22.7
percent from 1975 to 1992, decreased by 1.6 percent from 1992 to 2005.

The occupant injury rate (including motorcycle riders) per 100,000 population, which declined by 13.6 percent
from 1988 to 1992, decreased by 23.6 percent from 1992 to 2005.

The nonoccupant fatality rate per 100,000 population has declined by 50.6 percent from 1975 to 2005.

The nonoccupant injury rate per 100,000 population has declined by 49.4 percent from 1988 to 2005.

The percent of alcohol-related fatalities has declined from 60 percent in 1982 to 39 percent in 2005.

Re: There is still a vast amount of work to be done...
 

This idea is beginning to sound like the cars in I-robot.

Pavan.